Social Studies LONG ANS. QUESTIONS(5 Mark)

As a legal institution or organisation, a bank helps the public and the government manage the money in the economy. There are many state banks and a central bank in India. The Reserve Bank of India is the central bank that supervises the functioning of formal sources of loans. Issuing currency notes on behalf of the central government is the unique function of the RBI. Banks help in management of finances by providing two chief services to the public:
i. Depositing their savings
ii. Withdrawal of these savings on demand.
The main functions of the banks are:
• Accepting deposits from the public and others.
• Lending money to the public (Loans) and other institutions.
• Transferring money from one place to another (Remittances)
• Collecting money on cheques, drafts and bills.
• Conducting foreign exchange transactions.
• Keeping valuables in safe custody.
• Issuing letters of credit and guarantee
• Conducting government transactions (State and Central)

Besides banks the other major sources provides the cheap credit in rural areas they known as the cooperative societies. The members of a cooperative society utilise their resources for cooperation in certain areas.
i. Krishak Cooperatives society functions in a village not very far away from Sonpur.
ii. It has 2300 farmers as members. It accepts deposits from its members.
iii. With these deposits as collateral, the cooperative has obtained a large loan from bank.
iv. These funds are utilise to provide loans to members. Once these loans are repaid, another round of lending can take place.
v. Krishak cooperatives provide loans for the purchase of agricultural equipments, loans for cultivation and agricultural trade, fishery loans, loans for construction of houses and for a variety of other expenses.

'Bharatiya Janata Party' (BJP) wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India's ancient culture and values.
Four important features:
i. Cultural nationalism or Hindutva' is an important element in its conception of Indian Nationhood and politics.
ii. The party wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India, a uniform civil code for all people living in the country irrespective of religion, and a ban on religious conversions.
iii. Its support base increased substantially in the 1990s. Earlier limited to north and west and to urban areas, the party expanded its support in the south, east, the north-east and to rural areas..
iv. Came to power in 1998 as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance including several state and regional parties. Lost elections in 2004 and is the principal opposition party in the Lok Sabha.

During the year following 1815 when the fear of repression drove many liberal- nationalists underground the following events happened:
i. Secret societies sprang up in many European states to train revolutionaries and spread their ideas.
ii. To be revolutionary at this time meant a commitment to oppose monarchical forms that
had been established after the Vienna Congress, and to fight for liberty and freedom.
iii. Most of these revolutionaries also saw the creation of nation-states as a necessary part of this struggle for freedom.
iv. One such individual was the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini. He was an Italian revolutionary founded two more underground societies, first, Young Italy in Marseilles, and then, Young Europe in Berne, whose members were like-minded young men from Poland, France, Italy, and the German states.
v. Giuseppe Mazzini believed that nations are natural units of mankind. In his view, the creation of nation-states is a necessary part of the struggle for freedom. So, Italy could not continue to be a patchwork of small states and kingdoms. It had to be forged into a single unified republic within a wider alliance of nations. This unification alone could be the basis of Italian liberty Following his model, secret societies were set-up in Germany France, Switzerland and Poland.
vi. He was opposed to monarchy and believed in the vision of democratic republics. He did not believe in small states and kingdoms.
vii. Giuseppe Mazzini's relentless opposition to monarchy and his vision of democratic republics frightened the conservatives, Metternich described him as 'the most dangerous enemy of our social order'.

Following were the obstacles viewed by the new commercial classes, to the economic exchange and growth during the nineteenth century Europe:
i. There was enormous increase in population all over the Europe.
ii. Population from rural areas migrated to the cities to live in overcrowded slums and
could not afford to fulfill the basic needs.
iii. Increase in unemployment. In most countries, there were more job-seekers than employment.
iv. Cheap machine-made goods from England were giving stiff competition to small producers of European towns.
v. The price of food inflated many folds due to bad harvest. It led to a widespread pauperism in European towns.

The importance of conservation of minerals is explained below:
i. Mineral resources, in the present scenario, are being rapidly consumed. However, it is important to conserve these resources because the geological processes of mineral formation are very slow and it takes millions of years for them to be created and concentrated.
ii. The rates of replenishment are infinitely small in comparison to the present rates of consumption. The finite and nonrenewable nature of these resources makes them our country's most valuable possessions.
iii. Recycling of metals, using scrap metals and other substitutes are the important steps involved in the conservation of mineral resources.
Some of the measures to conserve minerals are as under:
i. Minerals should be used in a planned and sustainable manner.
ii. Improved technology needs to be constantly evolved to allow the use of low-grade ore at a low cost.
iii. Recycling of metals using scrap metals.
iv. Wastage in mining and processing should be minimized

• Remote and rural places are rapidly becoming more and more popular with solar energy.
• Given that it is a tropical nation. India has enormous potential for using solar energy. (Many parts (regions) of the country receive sunlight at least 300 days annually so, it becomes possible to generate 20 MW solar energy per square kilometre in such areas.)
• With the use of photovoltaic technology, electricity is produced straight from sunshine.
• It is easy to establish solar plants in urban and rural areas.
• Large power plants are being developed in India.
• This will significantly lessen the reliance of rural households on firewood and dung cakes. This will contribute to environmental preservation and provide an adequate supply of manure for agricultural use.